temple and was received in a manner befitting
his high claims. He questioned the two priests of A-lur from whom he
obtained only a repetition of the story that Mo-sar had told him, and
then the high priest invited him to inspect the temple.

They took him first to the altar court, of which there was only one in
Tu-lur. It was almost identical in every respect with those at A-lur.
There was a bloody altar at the east end and the drowning basin at the
west, and the grizzly fringes upon the headdresses of the priests
attested the fact that the eastern altar was an active force in the
rites of the temple. Through the chambers and corridors beneath they
led him, and finally, with torch bearers to light their steps, into a
damp and gloomy labyrinth at a low level and here in a large chamber,
the air of which was still heavy with the odor of lions, the crafty
priests of Tu-lur encompassed their shrewd design.

The torches were suddenly extinguished. There was a hurried confusion
of bare feet moving rapidly across the stone floor. There was a loud
crash as of a heavy weight of stone falling upon stone, and then
surrounding the ape-man naught but the darkness and the silence of the
tomb.

19

Diana of the Jungle

Jane had made her first kill and she was very proud of it. It was not a
very formidable animal--only a hare; but it marked an epoch in her
existence. Just as in the dim past the first hunter had shaped the
destinies of mankind so it seemed that this event might shape hers in
some new mold. No longer was she dependent upon the wild fruits and
vegetables for sustenance. Now she might command meat, the giver of the
strength and endurance she would require successfully to cope with the
necessities of her primitive existence.

The next step was fire. She might learn to eat raw flesh as had her
lord and master; but she shrank from that. The thought even was
repulsive. She had, however, a plan for fire. She had given the matter
thought, but had been too busy to put it into execution so long as fire
could be of no immediate use to her. Now it was different--she had
something to cook and her mouth watered for the flesh of her kill. She
would grill it above glowing embers. Jane hastened to her tree. Among
the treasures she had gathered in the bed of the stream were several
pieces of volcanic glass, clear as crystal. She sought until she had
found the one in mind, which was convex. Then she hurried to the ground
and